I'd Tell You But Then I'd Have to Kill You
by CatRocks
Summary: PRTF A young girl from Time Force gets sent back into the past on a mission. Unfortunatly, she has a run in with someone that she didn't expect...her father. The story of an exploration of self and family. With some bad guys mixed in.
1. Prolouge

Cat: Hey all! Yes, something new when I should be working on What Do We Do Now? Forgive me—but don't expect regular updates. I've been working on this for a while but haven't really gotten too far. However, the first few chapters should be out by next week. This first bit takes place during Reinforcements from the Future, but the rest does not. I'll shut up now…ENJOY!

**Disclaimer: In my dreams, maybe. **

"Jen?" Wes said hesitantly. Jen either didn't hear him or utterly ignored him because she continued rooting restlessly through her pack. Wes decided silently that she was ignoring him on the grounds that her bag was too small to hold any substantial amount of stuff to root through.

He took a deep breath and spoke again, louder this time. "Jen?" She stood quickly, slung her bag over her shoulder and started back towards the scattered group of Wild Force Rangers. "Come on Jen. Don't be like that." Wes willed. "You haven't even looked at me all day." Jen paused finally. Wes could clearly hear her sigh and practically felt her hesitation as she turned around. However, when he tried to speak she beat him to it.

"Look Wes, I have spent a long time trying to get over you." She blurted it out in the direct and brutally honest way that Wes remembered. However, she didn't meet his gaze as she said it. "And it's finally worked. Please. We can never be. And I really don't want to go back to that place again." She kept her head looking in every direction but forward.

Just the cadence of her voice brought back old feelings, not quite buried. Wes took a step towards her, but Jen backed up jerkily. "Don't." she ordered. Any other person might have thought that she meant it. But he wasn't just anybody. Wes knew her too well to be fooled by the sheer volume of her voice. He detected as slight catch. That, coupled with the knowledge that she was too frightened to make eye contact told him what he had never dreamed to hope. As much as she might claim to be over him, she wasn't.

"Remember that day on the beach?" Wes asked. "The day you told me you loved me?"

"Wes, I…" Jen was interrupted as neatly as Wes had been.

"You asked me not to forget you. Well, I tried." Jen was listening now, utterly silent. "I spent so long trying not to think about you because it hurt too much." He took another slight step towards her, and this time she didn't pull away. "Then one morning I woke up and realized that I couldn't remember your face. And I don't want to forget. Not anymore." Jen was how staring as hard as possible at the ground." I just want you to look at me, Jen." Wes beseeched. "Just once. So I can remember."

"I can't." answered Jen. Distress was spilling softly into her voice.

Wes reached out a hand to her shoulder. He rested it lightly, hesitantly. Jen didn't pull away. "Please" he begged.

Finally, slowly, Jen looked up at him. The lines around her mouth were pulled deep and taught; like they were on the few occasions he had seen her cry. A few stray wisps of soft brown hair strayed around the edges of her face, and a smear of dirt from some recent battle marred her cheek.

Jen took his arm, with the full intention of removing it from her shoulder. However, when the time came to release it she found herself strangely unwilling. "Thank you." Wes said quietly.

Until that time Wes had been openly and rapidly searching her entire face. At the same time Jen had been more surreptitiously glancing over his. And with those words their eyes met. There was a very long pause as neither of them wanted to look away. Tension rose quickly between them. They both knew it would eventually have to break, the only question was how.

Frightened by how quickly old emotions had resurfaced, Jen almost wished that a phone would ring. Still, she didn't pull away. Couldn't pull away. She wanted to stay there with him. She wanted it more than anything.

And then the tension snapped. In perfect sync they leaned together. Bodies and mouths locked and pure emotion swamped all reason and thought and judgment. Jen only dimly felt it when her back struck a thick tree trunk. Without hesitation they slid down it and fell onto the forested earth.

Cat: R and R—but don't expect the rest of the story to be like this, it's witty and full of action.


	2. Batteries Not Included

Cat: Hey all! Now the real story begins—and it's way different from the first chapter so I understand if it's not what you were expecting. Still, enjoy! Oh yeah, btw, this takes place in the year 2018.

**Disclaimer: in voice of the seagulls from Finding Nemo Not mine-mine-mine. **

Rachel Coleen Scotts wondered futilely why she was always so stubborn. Any sane person would have said "no" when offered the mission. Any sane person would have asked for back up, or at least, for a bigger gun. Unfortunately, Rachel was beginning to doubt her sanity. The mission had been assigned to her and only her. And she'd stood there and thought, _the bastard is trying to kill me. _The second thing she'd thought was, _He wants me to say 'no.' Or to quit. Well, I'll go just to spite him. And then he'll have to make me a Ranger._ There was just one thing she'd forgotten about when planning out her grand victory, the mission was tough. "Retrieve the mutant Glutto." That was what he'd instructed her to do. It wasn't impossible by any means. It was just exceptionally difficult, especially alone and without Ranger status.

It was all her mother's fault, Rachel decided. Commander Alexander didn't like her very much, and that was common knowledge. It was also common knowledge why. Getting pregnant on a mission wasn't exactly condoned by Time Force. In fact, she'd have been fired in a second if it weren't for two things. The first was her amazing skill as an officer. The second was that her equally talented team would have all quit without her as their leader. So, unable to take out his frustration on her mom, the commander was constantly making Rachel's life miserable—and he wasn't very subtle about it.

Still, first things first. Get the civilians to safety. Rachel squinted, protecting deep brown eyes from the sun, as she took in the size of the building before her. "Massive" did not quite describe the immense mass of marble. And that was exactly how she knew she was in the right place. She took the wide steps in front of the building easily and grabbed the cold bronze handle hastily. She spared a glance at her watch as she ripped the spotless glass door open, leaving a series of fingerprints that stood out sharply—and oddly pleasingly. Cursing loudly at the time she ignored the stares from around her. She was running late.

She grumbled mentally as she stormed in and threw herself before the imposing marble reception desk. "I need to speak to Mr. Collins." She informed the secretary briskly.

"Is Mr. Collins expecting you?" She replied in the traditionally perky voice of a receptionist. Rachel responded with the irritated air of someone whose precious time was being pointlessly wasted.

"No."

"When would you like to make an appointment?" If the receptionist caught her tone, she wasn't phased by it.

"Right now."

"He's in a meeting at the moment. I'm sorry." She did not sound very sorry.

Rachel glared and slipped into a commanding tone that she knew from experience worked very well on people who were not quite as willful as her. "Listen to me. I'm trying to save lives here, and I refuse to cut through red tape. So either you get me Mr. Collins or you get me the next best or I am going to go and find him myself, am I clear?" As expected, the secretary started and reached obediently for her phone. She dialed, but passed Rachel the phone without even greeting the person on the other end.

"This is Eric Meyers," He intoned. Despite herself Rachel wasted a breath on disbelief. Here was a man who she'd heard about her entire life, and he was on the phone with her. He was a legend, a shining, brilliant, example of Time Force greatness. She recovered quickly however.

"I need you to evacuate 1912 Silar Street. Everyone except for the top floor. Also the surrounding buildings."

"Why? Who is this?"

"We don't have time. You need to get those people out now." And she hung up. For being only 17, Rachel was very good at getting people to do what she needed them to do. Possibly because of innate leadership abilities. Probably because she'd spent her entire life getting harassed and sometime along the line she had learned how to deal with people. And she knew that if she wanted something done fast, the less explanation the better. She passed Mrs. Secretary the phone and didn't even stop to process the look on her face. Instead she turned right back around and bolted out the door.

Her motorcycle was waiting out back. Standard issue black and white with only average speed, Rachel wouldn't trade it for anything. It was the most reliable piece of equipment that she had, and reliability was one of the main issues with technology. For example, her mother's spanking new computer had crashed recently after the tiniest little power surge. She'd lost everything and was going to have to spend the next month trying to recreate it all. Nope, Rachel'd stick with what she had. Not to mention that her uncle, Trip, had shown her how to make a few minor changes to the steering column. The results were low powered lasers attached to the handle bars and handling that made Uncle Lucas whistle with appreciation. She jumped on and drove.

1912 Silar Street soared above her within minutes. It wasn't the most impressive building in the city, a mere five stories, but it was the tallest building on the block. The bike skidded sideways as she stopped it. It ended up just inches from the front door.

"Perfection." She complimented herself on the stop as she dashed through the heavy metal door.

Silver Guardians were everywhere, ushering disgruntled business men of all ages though every available exit. With so much chaos it was a miracle that anyone at all noticed the small slip of a girl threading her way along the edges of the room towards the elevators. The Guardian was doing exactly what she'd told him to—clearing the building--when he shouted across the room, "Hey! You there!"

"I'll check the upper levels!" She lied; slightly peeved that someone had bothered to stop her. There was only one reason that the Silver Guardian let what would seem to be a civilian go, though Rachel didn't wait to think about it at the time. He had recognized the sleek uniform and distinctive emblem Time Force officers. If she had known, Rachel might have paused because in the year 2018 there was only one man who could possibly have known that she was from Time Force from such a distance. And that man was her father.

But Rachel did not realize this and so she jammed her hand against the elevator button and, to her delight, it opened immediately. "Fate." She declare it as she jumped in and banged the plastic five. The machine moved far to slowly for her liking, however she was smart enough to know that using the abandoned machine was going to be much quicker then fighting her way through the endless evacuees and questioning Guardians who were fleeing down the stairs.

This knowledge did not calm her nerves or stop her impatient pacing.

"Calm down." She ordered herself aloud. "It's Glutto. You show the badge, you rumble, you arrest." She had purposefully skimmed over the fight. "You can do it. You've been training your whole life. And he's just a fat blue blob. It's not going to be a problem." She took a deep breath and squared herself to the elevator doors. "Yeah. It's not going to be a problem." She drew out her blaster as the elevator dinged cheerfully.

"Glutto!" She shouted, startling the mutant so badly that he visibly jumped. He wheeled around as Rachel quickly took in her surroundings. The fifth floor was one large room, surrounded by thick glass windows. In the center of the room was a large rectangular machine. It was obviously an explosive, but of what caliber Rachel had no idea. Flashing red numbers told her that the countdown would last for five short seconds as soon as activated. But Rachel wasn't too concerned with that. She didn't intend for it to be a problem.

Behind the detonator were about a dozen cyclobots. She hadn't been informed that there were going to be any, but their presence didn't surprise her. Of course Glutto would have known where Ransik kept his stash. Besides, bad guys always had cannon fodder. There was however, one thing that both surprised and frightened her.

To the right of the machine, bent low over a series of panels, was an enemy that Rachel had been told of from birth. Having frequently heard bedtime stories about his attack on the year 2001, she was well aware of the danger posed by the thing. Frax was back. Back, and clearly upgraded. Most of his gold plating (she'd seen pictures often) had been replaced with steel, making him harder then ever to damage. Her eyes didn't linger there though. She was more concerned with the laser. His entire left arm had been removed and replaced with a giant cannon.

Rachel was not stupid enough to let herself be distracted, or to stare. She also was not stupid enough to not register that Frax was dangerous, far more dangerous in fact then Glutto. She was forced to acknowledge that she needed a plan, and she needed it quickly. But she wasn't stupid enough to let Glutto know that. He had enough power without adding her fear to his long list of potential weapons.

"Time Force!" She announced, flashing her badge. "You're under arrest."

"Just one?" Glutto laughed.

"Just one is all it takes." Rachel replied. It felt good to say the amazingly witty banter that resounded in her head whenever someone wrote her off or insulted her. As an officer, back talking to fellow officers was not the way to get ahead. Back talking to superiors was the easiest way to get fired. However, back talking to villains was the best perk ever.

"Cyclobots!" Glutto called in the worthless machines. Rachel actually smiled. She fought a dozen cyclobots before breakfast. Without a laser blaster. And no one made her. She did it because she was held to higher standards, and she knew it. She needed to be better, and she knew it. And if she wanted to advance, she needed to make it clear that if she was not promoted her commanding officer was flat out wrong. And that meant being not only the best, but the obvious best. And that meant practicing. A lot. And it was all about to pay off.

She picked off three with a quick succession of perfectly aimed shots. She took out the rest in two and a half minutes. Not an all time record, but not too shabby, she thought. And she backed up to face the criminals. Her heart rate was up healthily, but her breathing was as casual as though she'd just walked across a room.

"Whose next? The ugly robot or the uglier mutant?" She challenged.

"Frax! Get her!" Glutto ignored the insult and continued to order around the troops. The robot stepped forward and raised his arm. He fired ten shots, machine gun style. Rachel fell into a practiced roll, artfully sliding out of the way of each one. Several windows shattered dramatically behind her. The girl grabbed her blaster and fired back, but the weapon didn't even make a dent in Frax's armor.

She cussed and examined the machine anew. He had to have a weak point. Not immediately noticing anything except for his rapid approach, Rachel dove between the robot's feet, falling back on hand to hand combat. She grabbed Frax around the neck and clasped both her elbows to steady herself as the robot thrashed about. She wished momentarily that her cousin-slash-best friend Nicole was there.

A year her junior and a rank above her, Nicole had made Green Ranger status for her supportive nature and easy laugh. Even without the awesome power of the Green Ranger, Nicole's super strength and carefree smile would have made Rachel's day a lot brighter. The girl had even offered to sneak along, but then Rachel's stubborn streak had kicked in and she'd said no. She was going to do it by the book like always. Really, her hard head was going to get her into trouble some day.

That day was possibly today as the robot finally managed to free himself of her. Rachel was sent sliding across the title floor and into the wall. The back of her head collided with the whitewashed wall, producing a sharp sting that Rachel had no choice but to ignore.

"Ha ha! Take that!" Glutto jeered, as though he'd been the one to injure her. Rachel glared and got to her feet, ignoring the soreness from the impact. The mutant must have caught sight of the determined look on her face because suddenly he fell into a look of moderate concern—fright almost. "Uh oh. Come on Frax. Let's go!" He ordered. Rachel rushed forward, knowing exactly what the mutant was about to do before his speedy retreat. Glutto pounded his blue fist once, irrevocably, on the explosive machine that Frax had been working on. The countdown clicked into bright life.

"No!" Rachel cursed for the third time that morning as both mutant and robot disappeared. The officer finished her mad dash forwards with four seconds left on the clock. She quickly scanned the machine for a clear 'off' button. With three seconds left she gave up and wondered if shooting it would stop the machine or cause it to detonate sooner. Deciding it was the latter she began searching for a way, any way, to turn off the machine. She had two seconds. With only one second left she found a cord. It snaked across the floor and plugged into the white plaster wall a few feet away. Leaping over the machine, Rachel grabbed the chord while still partially in the air. And as that last second wound down, she yanked on the cord.

The plug did not come free.

A deafening explosion rocked the entire building.

Cat: Review pleeeeeeeeaaassseeeeee!!!!!


	3. Must be 18 or Older to Order

Cat: Hey all! New chapter! And probably the last one for a while, exams and such grumbles . Oh yeah, this fic is going to have language that's a little worse than most of my others, just a heads up. Anyways, enjoy!

**Disclaimer:points in opposite direction He owns it. **

"Should we go in after her?" Eric was asking.

"I'm not su—" Wes stopped instantly as a bubble of bright orange flames erupted from the top floor. It was a moment before the sound of the explosion reached them, and a moment more before bits of shattered windows and other rubble began hailing down on them. By that time however, Wes had caught sight of something.

A dark shape had gone sailing through the air, propelled by the fiery cloud. Habit, honed by years of police service, kicked in and Wes dashed to where he was needed. He caught the shape as it fell, and he blinked in shock. The unconscious girl in his arms was thin, but heavy, though this odd combination was not what caused his surprise. Through dirt and injury he could clearly see a familiar sharp chin. A small nose that he'd seen before. One hand supported a head of unusually soft brown hair. They were features that belonged to one of the most important, most influential, most beloved people in Wes' life. When he spoke his voice shook with shock, confusion, and a hint of odd fear.

"Jen?"

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Rachel came to in a burst of sudden alertness. She forced her eyes open instantly, adrenalin pounding in her system. A bright light shone above her and she retreated back into darkness, while forcing her limbs to move, propping herself into a sitting position. She opened her eyes again, this time prepared for the dazzling brightness.

Glancing around so quickly it made her dizzy and nauseous at the same time, as well as igniting a sharp pain in her neck, Rachel took in her surroundings. Seeing no immediate danger, she relaxed enough to cuss once at the pain and her stupidity. She braced herself against the throbbing ache that she felt pretty much everywhere and mentally vowed to never again write off an explosive.

She was on a cot in a white washed, sterile, room. Overhead florescent lighting and a series of bandages—some typical, some more childish including a couple that seemed to feature a rather disproportional white dog that slept on top of a bright red house—informed her that she'd been rescued.

"Hey. You're awake."

Her curse had apparently attracted the attention of her rescuer. Moving slowly this time, Rachel turned to look at him. It was Wes. Against her will, she gaped. She hadn't meant to run into him like this. Not because she didn't want to, but because she wasn't allowed to tell him anything. And while she had always intended to see him, she had never intended to have to have a real conversation with him. It would have been all together awkward and unnecessary. It also would have been outside of her mission, which would have been against the rules and would have given Captain Anderson the reason to fire her that he had been looking for for at least three and a half years. In the end, the meeting caught her entirely off guard.

She cussed yet again.

"Hey now. Language!" Wes admonished. Great, Rachel though sarcastically, that's an excellent first impression. She then reminded herself loudly that whatever impression she made it didn't really matter. As far as Wes was concerned she was just an officer who was passing through.

Wes played the good mentor role while mentally writing off her uncouth outburst. By the look of things, she'd had a really tough day. After getting a better look at the girl, he'd discarded the idea that she was his first love. Her hair had blonde highlights in a pattern far too natural to be dyed, even a thousand years in the future. Also her cheeks were too full and here ears were round. He recalled with a slight smile a conversation he'd once had with Jen about her slightly square ears. She'd forcefully denied that her ears were in any shape outside of the norm, but Wes had never really stopped teasing her about them.

"The people." The officer groaned. "Are they all right?" Her question surprised the Red Ranger. Where as most people would have asked where they were, or how they got there, she was more concerned with others.

"They're all fine." He said warmly. "We got them out just in time."

"Good."

"Who are you?" Wes asked. The question burst from him with surprising force and bluntness. He winced. "I didn't mean that in a mean way."

"Sure." Sharp sarcasm broke through, but she didn't answer the question. "Where am I, exactly?"

"Oh. Right. Sorry. A private medical bay for the Silver Guardians. I recognized your badge." He explained. "Figured you didn't have all the paperwork for a real hospital. And that you didn't want that much attention."

"Listen." She said, swinging her legs around to the side of the cot. "Thanks for all your help, but I've gotta go."

"Don't you dare." Wes said sternly. "You're in no condition to go anywhere."

"Yeah. See. I have to go and kick ass," Wes shot her another glare for her use of cursing but the officer ignored it, "on Glutto and then on Frax too, and no one ever mentioned he'd be here."

"Frax and Glutto are back?" Wes repeated, a shot of alarm racing through him. "Is retrieving them your mission?"

"Yes."

"Where's the rest of your team?"

"In the year 3017." She replied shortly. A frown creased the Red Ranger's face. Glutto and Frax were serious enemies, and sending just one officer after them didn't sound smart at all.

"Are they coming?"

"Psh, no."

"Well, why didn't you come here for help?"

"Cause that would have defeated the point. I need to defeat Glutto and Frax on my own."

"Why?" He asked bluntly.

"Because Captain Anderson doesn't think I can do it, and he won't make me a Ranger until he absolutely has to."

"You came here all by yourself, without Ranger powers, to face Glutto and Frax just to prove a point?" Wes asked loudly. "Are you suicidal?!"

"Well," The officer said irritably, "I _was_ ordered to come here, all by myself, without Ranger powers, to face Glutto and Frax."

"Why would someone order you to do that?" Eric had entered. The officer's attention shifted to him instantly, almost gratefully.

"Because he's hoping I'll quit."

"You didn't want to quit so you came here to get killed?"

"If I die, it makes him right. I can't handle it. So I intend to win."

"You're insane!" Wes declared. "That doesn't sound like Time Force."

"As if you've heard of anything that's happened at Time Force in seventeen years."

"How would you know how long it was?" Wes Challenged, meeting her angry tone.

The officer clenched her fists and pursed her lips. Taking a deep breath she said, clearly restraining herself, "I have a very good comeback to that. I just can't tell you what it is."

"Go on. I'm not stopping you."

"Anderson will fire my ass so fast."

"What is with the cussing?"

"This conversation."

"And why is this conversation upsetting you so badly?"

"Because of you."

"Me?!" Wes asked loudly. "I just saved your ass, so don't take that tone with me." At the sound of his teammate cursing Eric started, mind racing for some way to end this conversation. Completely oblivious, Wes and Rachel continued their lightning fast argument.

"You ruined my life, so excuse me, but I'll take whichever tone I want to."

"I ruined your life?" Wes asked skeptically. "How the hell could I have ruined your life? I have never even met you!"

"Okay!" Eric said loudly, interrupting them before bloodshed could become an issue. "Everyone just calm down. Wes, maybe you should go and try to find Glutto."

"Don't even try!" the officer warned angrily. Eric pushed her back onto the bed. She struggled, but Eric was in full form and she'd just fallen from a five story window. Eventually she just gave up and glared darkly at Eric instead. The Quantum Ranger continued unperturbed. He looked her in eye, fortified against her gaze. He fell into a tone similar to the one that Rachel had used herself against the secretary that morning.

"And you. You spill your life's story, we'll help you defeat Glutto and Frax, and then tell your boss that you did it alone. Sound good?" The officer fumed silently and Wes exited without a word. "Good." Eric said loudly. "Now. Start with a name."

"Rachel."

"Good. Now, do you have a last name Rachel?"

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

"Don't joke around with me."

"I wasn't joking."

Cat: R and R!!!!


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